High school student vowed to make a difference

Sunday

To nominate a student for Youth Spotlight, email wvictora@nwfdailynews.com or call 315-4478.

CRESTVIEW — Jayde Terrell isn’t one for taking the easy road.

Instead, the 17-year-old said when she started high school she vowed to make a difference at her school and in the community. Now as a graduate about to head to University of Florida, she thinks she achieved just what she wanted.

“I just wanted to have an impact on my school and my community,” she said. “I wanted to be involved and get to know all the students in my class.”

In just the last year, she’s helped collect almost 3,000 toys to donate to Toys for Tots and helped with fundraisers at Crestview.

“Jayde is an exceptional young lady and we are so proud of her,” her great-aunt, Mildred Heaton, wrote in an email to the Daily News. “ … She has always been very modest in her achievements, but she is definitely someone you should know.

“She is an exemplary young adult.”

Jayde plans to major in civil engineering and hopes to get a job working on Florida’s beaches so she can stay close to home.

“I definitely think kids should get involved,” she said. “You get a sense of pride for your school and it will help you want to do well academically.”